Guest column: Despite State Department warnings, the Middle East is worth exploring

Posted: Saturday, October 01, 2005

By Sean Harder

My family thought I was crazy.

When I told them I'd be one of six American and six Middle Eastern journalists to attend a week-long international writing program in Beirut, Lebanon, they wondered whether my propensity for social beverages had finally gotten the best of me.

After all, when an American thinks of Beirut, images come to mind of Lebanon's 15-year civil war, the bloody Israeli invasion and a bombing that killed 242 U.S. Marines in 1983. In other words, Beirut's not your typical tourist trap.

My grandfather struggled to give me some advice the day before my flight: "All I can tell you is that they hate you over there. Remember that."

Needless to say, that sort of advice, combined with ominous State Department warnings about the dangers of visiting Lebanon, made for an uncomfortable 14-hour flight. My palms were sweating the entire way.

I worried about a planned interview with leaders of the militant resistance groups Hamas and Hezbollah, two organizations the United States lists as terrorist groups. So it seemed almost surreal when Hezbollah served us lunch and Hamas poured us hot tea while their leaders railed against Israel and U.S. foreign policy.

But they didn't take us hostage, as my mother had feared. They answered our questions. And we Americans were exposed to a perspective we rarely hear firsthand.

Not at the government level, where the dance of diplomacy and politics occurs, but citizen-to-citizen where a frank and visceral exchange of ideas can take place. Only then will our mutual stereotypes be shattered, and true diplomacy be given the chance to prevail.

We Americans, frightened and angered by Sept. 11, find it easy to lump Arabs into one homogenous stereotype: an uncivilized people governed by Islam whose hatred for the West poses a deadly threat.

Meanwhile, many in the Middle East see us as arrogant crusaders, bent on imposing our will and military might in their region no matter the injustices, personal suffering or loss of life it may cause.

Both opinions discount the diversity and complexities within our societies. The challenge lies in tempering these simple assertions by learning about each other's histories, culture and worldviews.

That was the message of an advisory panel report presented this week to the State Department, which warned of a seismic change in world opinion: "America is viewed in much of the world less as a beacon of hope than as a dangerous force to be countered."

The report urged the State Department to commit more funding to cultural diplomacy: exchanging art and literature and opening the doors to more educational exchange programs.

"If the United States does not act aggressively to define itself in the Islamic world, the extremists will gladly do the job for us," the report concluded.

Standing in the way, of course, is the Atlantic Ocean. But if more Americans are willing to tour the region, an abyss of misunderstanding could one day be overcome.

So the next time you're looking for a vacation overseas, I suggest you visit Lebanon. No, really. Think about it.

Situated north of Israel along the Mediterranean, Lebanon is a mountainous country of Roman ruins, snow-capped peaks and beautifully rare cedars.

To the north lies the ancient Phoenician port-city of Byblos, where Marlon Brando, Brigitte Bardot and Frank Sinatra once spent holidays.

In Beirut, large portions of the once war-torn city have been rebuilt to recapture its reputation as the "Paris of the Middle East."

With its mix of European and Middle Eastern influences, a parliamentary government that divides power between Christians and Muslims and its peoples' growing desire to be free of outside influences from Syria, Israel and the West, Lebanon is the perfect gateway to understanding the complexity of the Middle East.

And people there love Americans.

"So will you come back to Lebanon?" asked the taxi driver who drove me and two other American colleagues to the airport. "I hope you do come back. I hope all Americans will come to Lebanon."

Listen to the taxi driver. The future stability of our world may depend on it.

Sean Harder is the military affairs reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Last week, he attended a journalism training program in Lebanon sponsored by the Reuters and Stanley Foundations. He can be reached at sean.harder@savannahnow.com